Here he comes! The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made it official as Devdutt Padikkal has now been added to the Indian squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). The development has come on the eve of the opening Test in Perth. Padikkal was part of the India A side was asked to stay back and prepare with the main team in Perth.
Devdutt Padikkal to play 1st BGT Test?
Hearing what Devdutt Padikkal had to say in the video uploaded by BCCI, it gave away that the stylish southpaw will be amongst the playing XI. He claimed that he is glad to get this opportunity, hinting that Padikkal might walk out batting at number three on Friday.
“I feel pretty surreal to be honest. The intensity at the practice sessions has been pretty high. You feel that challenge, you feel that everybody is rearing for the series ahead. So, it has always been a pleasure to have a training session with the Indian team because it feels as big as the match. Hopefully, we can translate that into the game as well.,” Padikkal said while talking in a video uploaded by the BCCI.
“Coming here for a ‘A’ tour, I, somewhere was hoping that I could do and then asked to stay back. I am glad that I am getting this opportunity and I hope I can make it count.”
The southpaw, who made his debut for Team India earlier this year, had struck a strong 88 against Australia A at Mackay earlier in the month. The addition of Padikkal, who has a solid first-class average of 58.57, will bolster the batting-depleted squad. The selection of Padikkal is hardly surprising. In addition to Rohit Sharma’s unavailability, Shubman Gill is also doubtful about attending the Perth Test. Gill hasn’t been ruled out yet, according to assistant coach Morne Morkel, but the signals haven’t been encouraging.
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